Latest news with #ProtectOurCourtsAct
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. files suit against New York State over courthouse arrest law
June 13 (UPI) -- The federal government has filed a suit against the state of New York over a law that has kept ICE enforcement out of its state courthouses. The Department of Justice has named New York Gov. Kathleen Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James as the defendants in the lawsuit filed Thursday with the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of New York that seeks to have New York's "Protect Our Courts Act" ruled unlawful. The act, signed into law in December of 2020, provides a "privilege against civil arrest" for anyone traveling to or from, or involved in court proceedings, whether that be for themselves or in support for family or household members when they need to appear in court. The law further states that only judicially signed orders or warrants can be executed in court buildings, and such warrants must also be reviewed by the court, which then determines where and when a warrant can be executed, and how it may be implemented. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a press release Thursday that New York is "employing sanctuary city policies to prevent illegal aliens from apprehension." She added that the suit "underscores the Department of Justice's commitment to keeping Americans safe and aggressively enforcing the law." Chair of the New York State Senate Judiciary Committee Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal responded to the legal action with astatement Thursday in which he called the lawsuit "baseless and frivolous, and "part and parcel of the Trump administration's ongoing assault on the rule of law in New York." Hoylman-Sigal also insisted that the Protect our Courts Act is "well within the established purview of state law," and doesn't apply to federal or immigration courts, and permits Immigration and Customs Enforcement to make arrests with valid judicial warrants. "At a time when masked ICE officials are roaming the state and lawlessly detaining New Yorkers without any due process, the law preserves access to justice and participation in the judicial process," Hoylman-Sigal said. Hel was one of two New York legislators who wrote a letter to state Attorney General James in March when someone was allegedly detained by federal law enforcement while inside a state courthouse. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate also said in the Justice Department press release that the act allows New York to obstruct "federal law enforcement and facilitates the evasion of federal law by dangerous criminals, notwithstanding federal agents' statutory mandate to detain and remove illegal aliens."
UPI
17 hours ago
- Politics
- UPI
U.S. files suit against New York State over courthouse arrest law
The Department of Justice has named New York Gov. Kathleen Hochul (pictured) and Attorney General Letitia James as the defendants in the lawsuit filed Thursday with the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of New York that seeks to have New York's "Protect Our Courts Act" ruled unlawful. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo June 13 (UPI) -- The federal government has filed a suit against the state of New York over a law that has kept ICE enforcement out of its state courthouses. The Department of Justice has named New York Gov. Kathleen Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James as the defendants in the lawsuit filed Thursday with the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of New York that seeks to have New York's "Protect Our Courts Act" ruled unlawful. The act, signed into law in December of 2020, provides a "privilege against civil arrest" for anyone traveling to or from, or involved in court proceedings, whether that be for themselves or in support for family or household members when they need to appear in court. The law further states that only judicially signed orders or warrants can be executed in court buildings, and such warrants must also be reviewed by the court, which then determines where and when a warrant can be executed, and how it may be implemented. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a press release Thursday that New York is "employing sanctuary city policies to prevent illegal aliens from apprehension." She added that the suit "underscores the Department of Justice's commitment to keeping Americans safe and aggressively enforcing the law." Chair of the New York State Senate Judiciary Committee Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal responded to the legal action with astatement Thursday in which he called the lawsuit "baseless and frivolous, and "part and parcel of the Trump administration's ongoing assault on the rule of law in New York." Hoylman-Sigal also insisted that the Protect our Courts Act is "well within the established purview of state law," and doesn't apply to federal or immigration courts, and permits Immigration and Customs Enforcement to make arrests with valid judicial warrants. "At a time when masked ICE officials are roaming the state and lawlessly detaining New Yorkers without any due process, the law preserves access to justice and participation in the judicial process," Hoylman-Sigal said. Hel was one of two New York legislators who wrote a letter to state Attorney General James in March when someone was allegedly detained by federal law enforcement while inside a state courthouse. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate also said in the Justice Department press release that the act allows New York to obstruct "federal law enforcement and facilitates the evasion of federal law by dangerous criminals, notwithstanding federal agents' statutory mandate to detain and remove illegal aliens."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
New York Civil Liberties Union slams DOJ over ICE lawsuit
MANHATTAN (PIX11) — The New York Civil Liberties Union is slamming the U.S. Department of Justice for its lawsuit against New York's Protect Our Courts Act. 'The Trump administration's attack on the Protect Our Courts Act is a blatant assault on justice that would turn New York's courthouses into traps,' Executive Director Donna Lieberman said. 'Our legal system cannot function when people are too scared to step through courthouse doors. Without the Protect Our Courts Act, immigrant New Yorkers may not defend themselves against charges, avoid seeking protective orders, miss custody hearings, and stop fighting unlawful wage theft or eviction. No one is better off when justice is denied.' More Local News New York State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, who sponsored the Protect Our Courts Act, told PIX 11 News 'This lawsuit is a shameful display of federal overreach and political cruelty. They're using taxpayer dollars to uphold a law that upholds due process and the human rights of people and I think its really despicable.' Attorney General Pamela Bondi said, 'Lawless sanctuary city policies are the root cause of the violence that Americans have seen in California, and New York State is similarly employing sanctuary city policies to prevent illegal aliens from apprehension.' Bondi added, 'This latest lawsuit in a series of sanctuary city litigation underscores the Department of Justice's commitment to keeping Americans safe and aggressively enforcing the law.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
New York Civil Liberties Union slams DOJ over ICE lawsuit
MANHATTAN (PIX11) — The New York Civil Liberties Union is slamming the U.S. Department of Justice for its lawsuit against New York's Protect Our Courts Act. 'The Trump administration's attack on the Protect Our Courts Act is a blatant assault on justice that would turn New York's courthouses into traps,' Executive Director Donna Lieberman said. 'Our legal system cannot function when people are too scared to step through courthouse doors. Without the Protect Our Courts Act, immigrant New Yorkers may not defend themselves against charges, avoid seeking protective orders, miss custody hearings, and stop fighting unlawful wage theft or eviction. No one is better off when justice is denied.' More Local News New York State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, who sponsored the Protect Our Courts Act, told PIX 11 News 'This lawsuit is a shameful display of federal overreach and political cruelty. They're using taxpayer dollars to uphold a law that upholds due process and the human rights of people and I think its really despicable.' Attorney General Pamela Bondi said, 'Lawless sanctuary city policies are the root cause of the violence that Americans have seen in California, and New York State is similarly employing sanctuary city policies to prevent illegal aliens from apprehension.' Bondi added, 'This latest lawsuit in a series of sanctuary city litigation underscores the Department of Justice's commitment to keeping Americans safe and aggressively enforcing the law.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DOJ sues New York for sanctuary policy ‘undermining immigration enforcement'
The Trump Department of Justice launched a lawsuit against New York on Thursday over the Protect Our Courts Act, which the agency says "purposefully shields dangerous aliens from being lawfully detained." The Protect Our Courts Act, passed by New York's legislature in 2020 during the first Trump administration, bars ICE agents from carrying out civil arrests in and around state courts. In its suit, which U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday, the DOJ said the Protect Our Courts Act also prohibits ICE agents from carrying out civil arrests of any illegal alien who is going to or returning from a courthouse. The suit also targets two executive orders signed by former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo that bars ICE agents from making civil immigration arrests of anyone within a state facility and prohibits state employees from sharing information for civil immigration enforcement purposes with federal immigration authorities. Chaos Erupts As Ice Protesters Prompt State Of Emergency In Spokane, Washington The DOJ said "these laws pose intolerable obstacles to federal immigration enforcement and directly regulate and discriminate against the Federal Government, in contravention of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution." Read On The Fox News App "Through these enactments," the DOJ argued, "New York obstructs federal law enforcement and facilitates the evasion of federal law by dangerous criminals, notwithstanding federal agents' statutory mandate to detain and remove illegal aliens." The agency said these policies regulate federal officials by necessitating them to obtain criminal arrest warrants for illegal aliens, "even though Congress has authorized federal officials to effect such custody by civil arrest warrants." The DOJ filed its suit in the federal district court for the Northern District of New York, Albany Division, on Thursday. The agency is asking the court to declare the New York policies invalid and unenforceable under the Supremacy Clause. Democrat Accuses Trump Of Unleashing 'Campaign Of Terror' On Illegals As La Riots Rage In a DOJ statement published on Thursday, the DOJ said the Protect Our Courts Act "purposefully shields dangerous aliens from being lawfully detained at or on their way to or from a courthouse and imposes criminal liability for violations of the shield." The agency said its suit aligns with President Donald Trump's executive order titled Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border, which directed the Department of Homeland Security to issue guidelines for safe enforcement of immigration laws, specifically at or near courthouses. Writing on X, Bondi accused the State of New York of "undermining immigration enforcement" through these laws, writing that "lawless sanctuary policies are driving the chaos we're seeing in California right now. We refuse to accept such blatant disregard for law and order anywhere in America. "Lawless sanctuary city policies are the root cause of the violence that Americans have seen in California, and New York State is similarly employing sanctuary city policies to prevent illegal aliens from apprehension," Bondi said in the DOJ statement. "This latest lawsuit in a series of sanctuary city litigation underscores the Department of Justice's commitment to keeping Americans safe and aggressively enforcing the law." Immigrant Shelter Whistleblower Asking Doj To Investigate 'Disturbing Pattern' At Taxpayer-funded Hotels In response, Jess D'Amelia, a spokesperson for Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, told Fox News Digital that "New York state cooperates with federal officials in removing convicted criminals from our State." While she said that "there is no sanctuary in New York for people who commit crimes," she also noted that "it's important that witnesses, victims and ordinary people can make use of our court system and feel safe in our courthouses and other state facilities." "We are reviewing this litigation that the Trump administration just filed, but it appears to be a waste of federal resources," said D'Amelia. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James responded to the suit by telling Fox News Digital that the Protect Our Courts Act "ensures every New Yorker can access our courts and pursue justice without fear, because due process means nothing if people are too afraid to appear in court." "Immigrants make New York great," said the spokesperson. "Attorney General James will proudly defend this law and all of New York's laws, just as she will continue to defend the rights and dignity of all who call New York home."Original article source: DOJ sues New York for sanctuary policy 'undermining immigration enforcement'
